RING-NECKED PHEASANT. 197 



modern days, and conducted in a most magnificent 

 scale, that of Chantilli, 54,878 head of various 

 game were killed in one year ; and during a pe- 

 riod of thirty-two years, 12,304 is the lowest num- 

 ber that was obtained. In the same course of years 

 the number of pheasants killed was 86,193, averaging 

 nearly 2700 yearly. In Germany, there were some 

 parties scarcely inferior in massacre. A party of ten 

 in Bohemia are said to have killed in two days, with- 

 in a limited extent, above 950 pheasants, besides 

 about 1200 partridges; and in another part of Ger- 

 many, twelve sportsmen, if such a name is applicable 

 to them, killed in one day of fourteen hours, 39,000 

 head of game, of which pheasants bore a proportion. 

 At the Christmas batteau in England, 800 to 1000 

 head of game is a frequent daily amount, the greater 

 share of which are hares and pheasants. From these 

 some idea may be formed of the extent to which 

 breeding and turning out is carried.- 



The pheasant is subject to considerable variety of 

 plumage. Like most of the gallinaceous birds, as we 

 have already mentioned, the female assumes the plum- 

 age of the male, and those in this state should be kill- 

 ed or expelled the preserves, as with the livery, they 

 assume a disposition at war with their own race. They 

 vary in being mottled with white, or becoming en- 

 tirely of that colour ; and Temminck is of opinion 

 that in such cases the change is owing to disease in 

 some of their functions, and mentions that persons 

 who have long had the charge of a pheasantry, have 



